Net Entertainment to Enter Italian Online Gaming Market

Written by Haylie | Thursday, November 5th, 2009

Italy’s biggest remote gaming provider, Microgame, has signed a deal with Net Entertainment software developer to deliver CasinoModule. The terms of the agreement state that Net Ent will serve as the preferred strategic casino provider to Microgame. Additionally, the agreement secures Net Ent’s position in Italy’s online market, serving as a major milestone in the progression of breaking into the massive Italian online gaming market, for which regulation is still in the works.

Microgame was established in 1996 and is Italy’s largest independent gaming provider. The company’s market share in sportsbetting and poker is 28% and 25%, respectively. Microgame manages a great deal of authorized Italian gaming accounts in Italy and in 2008, Microgame’s customers generated more than €490 million in gross gaming revenues. In that same year, Microgame revenues exceeded €85 million.

The new Net Ent CasinoModule will allow Mirogame to access a wide range of leading industry casino content that will serve to complement its already existing portfolio of product.

Microgame CEO, Fabrizio D’Aloia, says, “We are very happy to join Net Entertainment to our exciting gaming project for the new emerging Italian casino games market. The worldwide recognized Net Entertainment’s expertise in the casino games development and marketing will be strategic for Microgame to maintain the leadership on the Italian online gaming market.”

Italy will be the first European nation to regulate domestic online gaming via licensing, but it is unlikely to be the last. Net Entertainment CEO, Johan Öhman, says, “Gambling is huge in Italy and is expected to generate a Gross Gaming Yield exceeding 17 Billion Euro in 2009 making it the country’s third largest industry. In light of this, it is obviously extra encouraging that one of the dominant incumbents selects Net Entertainment as their strategic casino partner thereby giving us a substantial footprint in a totally new market.”